1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an overfill prevention system that serves to monitor and control the fuel filling process to protect against overfilling of a tank, and more specifically to an overfill prevention system that comprises a fuel shut off sensor assembly connected electronically to a power take off switch assembly, which controls the fuel pump and stops the flow of gasoline or diesel from the fuel reservoir to the tank being filled.
2. Description of Related Art
Fuel distributors use large transport truck tractors, cargo tank trailers and bobtail tank trucks to provide fuel, oil or other fluids to heavy machinery in the field that is unable or impractical to fuel at a regular fill-up station. These large fuel transports can be used to transport fuel and oil over a large region to customers who use the fuel for various purposes including specifically to fuel frac equipment.
One concern fuel distributors face is the accidental over-filling that can occur as the fuel or oil is being pumped from a transport to the heavy machinery or frac equipment. Because of the nature of the fuel and oil being pumped, accidental overfills can create adverse health and environmental issues that must be addressed by the fuel distributor. As such, personal and environmental safety are top priorities of fuel distributors. Additionally, there are significant costs associated with overfilling including both the environmental cleanup costs as well as the cost of the wasted fuel or oil. These costs are also borne by the fuel distributor.
There are current systems in place that use fuel probes located within a fuel tank that are designed to sense the fuel level within the tank. These fuel probes are typically connected electronically to a secondary overfill prevention system, such as the IntelliCheck®2 System from the Scully Signal Company. Once the fuel probe in the tank senses that the fuel level has reached the preset level of capacity (typically when the fuel is within 60 gallons of maximum capacity), the secondary overfill prevention system indicates that the tank has reached this capacity. However, the secondary overfill prevention system does not have the ability to shut off the pump and stop the flow of fuel.
It is therefore desirable to have an overfill prevention system, which has a fuel shut off sensor assembly connected electronically to a switch assembly connected to the pump via a power take off switch assembly, which controls the flow of gasoline from the fuel reservoir to the tank being filled, thus preventing expensive and dangerous overfill situations.